Staying loose
 

I have been trying to stay loose and relaxed, yet continue sketching daily before the workshop next week. I had so much fun with this photo I took in April. Vine charcoal on newsprint . . .took about an hour.

Beautiful drawing, very painterly.

Allan

Thanks Allan. ;) I took better pics of it this morning and tweaked just the tiniest bit. My intention was to think values and painting, not drawing, so I used only vine charcoal and my fingers. I really tried to concentrate on shapes instead of features. Vine charcoal is so tenuous, you can only be loose - I like that!

Pat,

What a completely engaging, lovely little piece. Were you working on a toned surface?

I also love vine charcoal, and I agree with all you've said. I recently experimented with LItho Coal, and will post the image in materials when I get a few minutes - you might try it- it heat sets, and becomes unsmudgable (sounds like a Natalie Cole song.)

You are really doing such lovely work.

Hi Chris,
Thank you for the compliment!! It's very encouraging to get this from you!! The paper is just newsprint. I have never heard of Litho Coal but will look for it, sounds very interesting.

Hi Patricia -

Not only good values, but very loose, flowing, "painterly" lines and a well-done drawing overall. Very nice!

Pat,

Your drawing is beautiful, so beautiful in fact I would THROW OUT the newsprint and get some reasonably priced archival paper. Little gems like this are a treasure, and it is worth having them on better paper. Use the newsprint for doodling out ideas or training puppies. It yellows and embrittles rapidly. Just look at a pile of old newspapers to see what I mean.

I'm so jealous of the way you've handled this. It's very fresh and quite possibly my favorite piece of yours. It feels like you were'nt trying to create a woek of art, it just happend naturally. I'm proud of you, keep up the great work.

Hi Pat, I like your "loose" style a lot! This is a little treasure.

Jean

Julie, Sharon, Jimmie, Jean,

I'm so happy to read your responses. I was pretty tickled with the way she happened so quickly and easily. I'd like to think it is no accident but that I am getting something out of the dozens of BAD drawings I do in between the couple of good drawings!!! I was thinking of Ruben's Head of a Boy when I visualized this drawing. The Ruben's poster is in my studio and I have studied it every day for three years - and I have copied it several times.

Sharon, I'll save the newsprint for the puppy we are adopting in two weeks, when I return from Vegas, a one year old german shepherd - Greta, she is beautiful!!! and buy some charcoal paper ;)

Does anyone have any suggestions as to how to preserve newsprint?

Jimmie, you jealous of me?????? That's a universal switcharoo!!!! Remember you are MY drawing mentor!!!

I read somewhere quite recently -- I wish I could remember where -- that the purpose of the vast majority of all the artwork we create is to be somewhat "bad", as preparation for the few top notch things we are fortunate enough to create once in a while along the way.

As far as preserving newsprint, it's full of acid so it will dissolve over time (sorry). However, to keep this drawing in decent shape longer you might want to go to a good art supply store or very good framer and ask about some adhesive to attach it to a mat board so that when it starts to fall apart it won't literally "fall apart".

I can definitely see the feeling of Rubens' "head of a boy" in this. I thought of it too, before you mentioned it.

Patricia,

Very nice drawing.

You might want to get your best digital image and create a giclee on good paper. Then when the original goes to dust the other will live on.

Michele,

That quote is from the book "Art and Fear," I think.

Thanks Michele and Mike,
Michele, is that the book? Do you recommend it Mike. I may have to purchase it!

I do recommend it highly. In fact it is the subject of this thread:

http://forum.portraitartist.com/show...=3734#post3734

I don't have the book but maybe whatever I read was someone quoting from it.

Well Pat, whatever it is you are doing, please keep doing it! This is wonderful!

:)

Pat!!! This is just so gorgeous and engaging! I agree with Mike, it's worth preserving on something other than newsprint . . . a nice archival print probably wouldn't be too hard to do?

i love this. :)

Pat,

This is wonderful! I remember you posting the source photos (I think) and you did a great job with them. All the time you're spending sketching is really paying off.

I hope you have a great and productive time at the upcoming workshop! I hope you'll show us what you get done there.

Julie
________
Teen Vid

Pat,

Newsprint???! You should be slapped. This is too good. I hope you are very proud of yourself!

Pat,


it's a wonderful drawing! Full of life.